The fundraising starts here...

HEART UK is a registered charity (1003904) and a company limited by guarantee (2631049) in England and Wales. HEART UK is the working name for Hyperlipidaemia Education and Atherosclerosis Research Trust UK

Fundraising made easy! Thank you for choosing to raise money for HEART UK! Whether you’re taking part in a challenge or organising your own event, every penny really does make a difference.

The funds you raise will help us support the millions of people with either inherited or non-inherited high cholesterol and help reduce their risk of heart disease, raise awareness of high cholesterol conditions throughout the UK, and campaign for improved screening, identification and treatment of people with raised cholesterol.

There are so many different ways to fundraise that it can be a little overwhelming. This pack, choc-full of ideas and tips will help get you started!

From all of us here at HEART UK, a big thank you for your support.

Do get in touch with our Development team if you need any

further help or advice on 01628 777046, or

info@teamredlaces.org.uk

Good luck and thank you!

Getting support

Get asking: Tell people what you’re

doing and why and you’ll be

surprised at how much support

they give!

• Family, and get them to spread

the word amongst their friends

• Friends, and get them to spread

the word amongst their friends!

• Work colleagues, and get them to

spread the word amongst their

friends!!

• Your employer may also offer a

matched giving scheme - just

ask!

Get online: Research shows that people

give more online, plus you don’t have to

worry about chasing people for their

donations post event!

• Set up an online fundraising page at

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/heart

uk. Populate it with what you’re doing and why,

details about you and the cause, photos, videos,

blogs and more.

• Use social media - link your fundraising page to

your Facebook, or other social networking site,

‘tweet’ about it, ask others to ‘retweet’

• Add a link to your email signature, will your place

of work post it on their website? Can you write a

blog? There are so many opportunities with online

media – make the most of them!

Getting sponsorship from friends and family is where most people start

fundraising. Online or face to face, its tried, tested and it works!

• Face to face is tried and tested, its often harder to turn you down in person!

• We have a sponsor form you can download and print for school, work, neighbours, or nights out at the pub. Why not print it A3 and stick it up in your canteen?

• Carry a ‘business card’ with you wherever you go with contact details and a link to your online giving page – you never know when you’ll meet a potential sponsor

Try a bit of everything and see what works for you

Get personal – by personalising your giving pages, sponsor forms, posters etc with photos and reasons why you’re involved with HEART UK, this will give your cause a more emotive people and compel people to give more

Collect as you go – the last thing you want to do after your event is to chase people for money!

Make sure your first sponsor, sponsors high

as this will set a benchmark for others!

Gift Aid it! If your sponsors are UK tax payers, Gift Aiding their donation adds 25p to every £1 at no extra cost to you or them. Make sure they tick that Gift Aid box!

Top Tips! Get face-to-face: Online giving is

growing, but don’t underestimate

paper power...

What you can do Whether you’re organising a charity ball, taking part in a race

or sitting in a bath of baked beans, raising money for

HEART UK will not only help people with health issues, but

will make you feel good too!

Get entertaining:

Charge friends, family, colleagues etc a modest

amount in exchange for a day/night of fun

• Seasonal fancy dress parties

• International evening – with healthy global cuisine!

• Speed dating

• Live music evening

• Karaoke night

• Quiz night

Get social:

Ask local businesses and people you know to

donate prizes, charge entry fee for games and offer

these prizes to the winners!

• Football/hockey/netball/rugby/tennis tournament/match

• Penalty shoot out

• Highland games

• Rounders

• Silly sports day

• Arm wrestling

• All of the above in your very own HEART Olympics!

Get active:

Take part in an organised race or arrange your own.

Check http://www.runnersworld.co.uk for race details,

or what about these...

• Santa Dash

• Swim-a-thon

• Aerobic-a-thon

• Yoga-a-thon

• Zumba-a-thon

Get silly!

The more imaginative the event, the more likely you

are to get interest from local press and businesses

• Sponsored shaving – beard, legs (probably just the

men...), head???

• Knobbly knees competition

• Limbo competition

• Pram pushing race

• Auction of promises

Get local:

Be an enterprising entrepreneur and set up a

fundraising activity in your street/village/town

• Fair/fete

• Garden party

• Car washing

• Lawn mowing

• Dog walking

• Car boot/jumble sale

• Nature walk

• Odd jobs day

• Treasure hunt

• BBQ

Get creative:

What hobbies and skills do you have which could help

you to fundraise?

• Busking

• Crafts, greetings cards, jewellery, pot-pourri, jam, chutney

• Bake sale

• Sports training

• Holistic therapies

Get working:

Talk passionately about what you are raising money

for at work, school or university, and think of

something inventive to entice in supporters

• Themed lunch

• Non-uniform day/dress down Friday

• Back to front day

• Fancy-dress day

• Raffle

• Tuck shop

• Who’s that baby?

• Lunch time clubs – yoga, pilates, knitting, crafts?

Combine ideas to maximise fundraising potential Find out if your company offers a matched-giving scheme or if it will sponsor or offer raffle prizes Gain support from local business with the promise of press coverage and good PR. Ask for donations for raffles and auctions or even sponsorship Try to do something different to capture the media’s attention. Is there anything interesting about your reason for supporting HEART UK, is your challenge really really tough, is your event totally unique? Maybe you can even get a local celebrity to support you or donate a signed book as a prize? At university/college ask your Raising and Giving (RAG) Society for support. Contact the college ball organisers or Hall Presidents and ask them to make a donation. Can you sell cocktails, flowers or do a bucket collection at their event?

Top Tips!

Tell the world!

Before the event • Decide which local media to contact depending on your event audience – local newspapers, magazines, online, radio, TV •Try to establish your event’s unique selling point – your local TV station won’t turn up for a raffle, but they might if you get a local celeb to draw it...

• If you have a HEART UK t-shirt, wear it and take photos of you wearing it! If you don’t have a t-shirt and think it would help your fundraising, please contact us – info@teamredlaces.org.uk or call 01628 777046

• Give your local media plenty of advanced warning about the event. About 1 month’s lead time should do

•If you have a good story to tell, also contact us, our

press office may also be able to help you promote

your event

• Local newspapers love a good photograph, like this

one of London Marathon fundraiser Gail! Send hi-res JPEG files by email

The key to success for all types of fundraising is publicity! Send a compelling

message that reaches the audiences you’re targeting for fundraising

After the event

• Blow your own trumpet and contact the local media again to ask if

they would like to do a follow-up feature or interview. Especially if the

event was a huge success, which of course it will be!

• If you have good images from the event, please also send to us as

we can include you in our membership magazine, and put a feature

on our website to thank you, and encourage other people to get

involved

• Spread the word about HEART UK as widely as you can. Give

talks/presentations to work colleagues, local groups and

organisations. Become a HEART UK Ambassador and take the

opportunity to ask them if they would like to support you in

fundraising further

• Encourage your sponsors and event guests to become a member of

HEART UK and support us with a regular donation. They can visit

http://www.heartuk.org.uk/membership to learn more

The Legal Stuff

Legal: • Some fundraising activities have a

minimum age limit. Please check the

details on the IoF website

• If you intend to collect funds in a

public place, you must get a licence

from your local authority

• Raffles and lotteries are subject to

very strict and complex laws You

must consult the IoF before

organising a raffle or lottery

•You must make it clear that you are

fundraising in aid of HEART UK and

that you do not work for the charity

• When you collect funds, ensure

that all money is placed in a

sealed container for safe

keeping

• Prior to any sponsored walk

etc, always get permission from

the landowner. Your local council

will be able to advise you on

who this is

• If you are selling alcohol at

your event, check with your local

council about a licence. This

does not apply if your venue

already has a drinks licence

It is essential that you fundraise in a safe and legal way. There are many rules and regulations around raising funds from the public and we want to help to make your fundraising run smoothly

The Institute of Fundraising

(IoF) offers legislation and best

practice guidelines to

fundraisers in the UK. We

strongly urge you to visit their

website before you start

fundraising. http://www.institute-

of-fundraising.org.uk

There are many sources of

advice out there, so if you are

ever in doubt, your local

council, police, Trading

Standards Office and the

Council for Voluntary Action

(http://www.navca.org.uk) will

be pleased to advise you

Some general things to consider:

• Consider First Aid requirements and fire

safety. Contact St John’s Ambulance and

your local fire station for the most up-to-

date advice. http://www.sja.org.uk

• If you’re carrying cash, be vigilant, use

safe, well-lit routes and always take

company. Don’t allow children under 16

to collect money without adult

supervision

• If sub-contractors such as marquee

providers or caterers are used, ensure

they also have public liability insurance

cover

HEART UK cannot accept liability for any problems or accidents

during activities run in its name

Please make sure you keep it safe and legal, as well as having fun!

For a comprehensive advice on all aspects of health and safety at events, see

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/law.pdf

Safety:

• If you are serving food at an event, you

will need to adhere to food standards

health and safety guidelines

http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating

• If your event involves members of the

public, you should take out public

liability insurance, or ensure you have a

copy of your venues’ insurance policy

and risk assessments.

It is recommended that you carry out a

risk assessment even if your venue has

already done so. For more information

see http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk

Money matters

Send your Paying-in form, Sponsor forms and any cheques to:

Development Office

HEART UK

7 North Road

Maidenhead

Berkshire

SL6 1PE

Notes:

If you prefer, you can also send without a stamp to: Development Office, HEART

UK, FREEPOST SCE 12382, Berkshire, SL6 1BH.

Please do not send cash in the post. If you have collected cash, please pay it

into your own bank account and make out a cheque, payable to HEART UK, for

the full amount.

Congratulations on a successful event for HEART UK! When you are ready to send your funds to us. Please do so using the Paying-in form provided. Please enclose any paper sponsor forms too, so we can claim the Gift Aid. We will not contact your donors unless they have stipulated we can do so.

Useful stuff

Download all the resources here, or request them in hardcopy from

us at info@teamredlaces.org.uk or on 01628 777046

• Sponsor form

• Event planning crib sheet

• Sample press release

• Sponsorship request letter

• Paying-in form - to send us any monies not collected online

We have plenty of fundraising tools and resources including sponsor forms,

posters, collecting tins, buckets, balloons, t-shirts, a sample press release, a

sponsorship request letter, and masses of literature about HEART UK, all of

which can help you on your way!

The Institute of Fundraising – for legal advice on

fundraising activities

http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk

The Directory of Social Change – for advice, training

and more

http://www.dsc.org.uk

Charity Commission – detailed, government

approved advice and policy on charitable

activities

http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk

HEART UK’s online giving page

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/charities/

heartuk

Health and Safety Executive – for government

approved health and safety advice

http://www.hse.gov.uk

HMRC – for government approved Gift Aid

information

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk

Rotary Club – for funding opportunities

http://www.ribi.org

Lions Club – for funding opportunities

http://www.lionsclubs.org

Round Table – for funding opportunities

http://www.roundtable.co.uk

Women’s Institute – for funding opportunities

http://www.thewi.org.uk

RAG Society – for funding opportunities

http://www.ukrag.org.uk

Runners World – for races and training advice

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk

links

Contact us

Email: info@teamredlaces.org.uk

Tel: 01628 777046

Post:

Development Office

HEART UK

7 North Road

Maidenhead

Berkshire

SL6 1PE

Web: www.heartuk.org.uk

On behalf of all of us here at

HEART UK, thank you!

Every day we hear news of

another person diagnosed with

either inherited on non-inherited

high cholesterol, or another life

lost due high cholesterol.

By fundraising for HEART UK, you

are helping us keep young hearts,

running (and remember, you can

still be young at 90!)

Please do let us know if you are planning to raise money for HEART UK. We will always offer support and advice where we can, and we like to be able to thank you! If you have any further questions or would just like to check in with us to see if you’re on the right track, please contact us.

HEART UK fundraisers in action!

From fancy dress to sporting prowess, yoga-a-thons

and dog walking days. Fundraising is a great

experience and loads of fun.

Good luck and keep in touch!